Learn English – Connotations of trite, passé, and cliché

connotationword-choice

What are the differences between trite, cliché, and passé? They seem to all have a similar denotation, but what are the subtleties of their connotations?

The only difference I really see is that cliché is an expression that has become trite or passé, whereas trite and passé can be related to anything, e.g. ideas, words, fashion, etc.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Best Answer

Here are some example sentences from the Oxford English Corpus:

  • I have come to the conclusion that he is a tired cliché in search of a point.
  • Just my luck, I was being stalked by a tired cliché.
  • You have written a cliché, a worn-out metaphor.

As with all questions of connotation, one must go by the evidence, and one can only make an educated guess. I would say that cliché has a negative connotation and, in keeping with its definition, is something over-used and well-worn.

  • It seems almost trite to say it is a major disaster but it is difficult to find words to express the significance of this second attack.
  • Quibbling about definitions of freedom is a trite response to a serious issue.
  • This is more than the trite truism that there is a thin line between love and hate.

Trite definitely also has a negative connotation -- I think all these words do -- but it has an entirely different implication than cliché: something that is trite is something that is not deep or meaningful enough.

  • What you think is in style one season may be viewed as passé the next, especially by the hardcore fashionistas.
  • Most unpolished is the dialogue, which is often so clunky and forced that Rudnick smears the awkward moments with passé humor.
  • Out in the seats I imagine we're all feeling the same fear -- that our jobs are drying up, that they can be done for a fraction of our wages by someone more desperate somewhere else, that our hard-won skills are passé.

Passé is used to show that something has passed its use-by date, that it was once appropriate and worthwhile, but is no longer. Again, it has a negative connotation, but refers to something that was once in widespread use, but should not be used today because it has lost its effectiveness. This is different from a cliché in that a cliché is most often a phrase, whereas anything can be passé.

These are just my interpretations of a very small set of data. Feel free to make your own.

Related Topic